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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29848491">fighting tides and chasing you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloas/pseuds/aloas'>aloas</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bounty Hunter Trafalgar Law, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, and some fighting, softer than originally intended</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 23:13:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,801</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29848491</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aloas/pseuds/aloas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Law drops his hand as he watches Luffy escaping, slipping through Law’s fingers once again. His figure grows smaller as the distance between them gets bigger, and yet Law is far from disappointed.</i>
</p><p> <i>This is only their 19th encounter, and Law knows there will always be a next time.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>124</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>fighting tides and chasing you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Law doesn’t know why it started, this constant clash of metal with Haki infused limbs, he only knows that they have been doing this for a while now. A first encounter that led to a second one, then a third, and so on, until he found himself promising that if someone out there was going to capture the Strawhat’s captain, it would be him.</p><p>His eyes are focused as he follows each of Luffy’s movements, and the sound of a chuckle has Law lifting his gaze to Luffy’s face, where he notices a hint of mischievousness in his grin. There is a fiery look in his eyes that makes Law’s blood boils, the same look he always receives when Luffy is about to flee once again.</p><p>Law’s movements grow erratic as he desperately tries to hit something, disconnect one limb, anything, to not let him get away this time, and Luffy’s grin only widens.</p><p>“I’ll be leaving now, Torao,” states Luffy, his words followed by the sound of an explosion coming from behind Law.</p><p>The sudden outburst catches Law unguarded, and during the three seconds that he took to turn around and see the flames engulfing part of the island they are currently at, courtesy of the cyborg from Luffy’s crew, Luffy had already stretched his arms and gripped the branches of a faraway tree, swinging himself away from Law.</p><p>A few seconds pass by in which Law tries to catch his breath, but he feels for his heartbeat and realizes he could still make a big enough Room to reach Luffy. He lifts his hand at the same time that Luffy casts one last glance at him over his shoulders, smiling brightly and shouting that he hopes they can meet again soon, the words travelling through the distance between them and causing something inside Law to short circuit.</p><p>Law drops his hand as he watches Luffy escaping, slipping through Law’s fingers once again. His figure grows smaller as the distance between them gets bigger, and yet Law is far from disappointed.</p><p>This is only their 19th encounter, and Law knows there will always be a next time.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Luffy is now peacefully devouring a month worth of food, celebrating their victory against the evil commander of a summer island, when a woman rushes to his side, telling him that he needs to leave because the Surgeon of Death has just arrived and is looking for him.</p><p>A little squeak of excitement leaves his lips after hearing that. “You don’t need to worry, Torao is my friend, it’s good that he’s looking for me.”</p><p>“Don’t lie to her, Mugiwara-ya,” Comes a familiar voice from behind him. “You know we’re not friends.”</p><p>There is the hugest smile on Luffy’s face when he turns around, his gaze landing on the source of the voice. Luffy’s eyes wander down the lines of Law’s arms and legs before he turns around again, explaining to the woman, “He’s right, I’m sorry I lied. He is actually my boyfriend.” </p><p>Law gasps in surprise. “Don’t be so delusive,” He snarls, and even if Luffy wanted to, nothing could contain the laughter building in his throat at the sight of Law’s menacing expression.</p><p>“But it’s kinda romantic, don’t you think? How you’re always running after me,” Luffy teases.</p><p>“There’s nothing romantic about me going after your head,” Law retorts.</p><p>Luffy can only laugh again, blocking Law’s first attack. Fighting Law is some of the best training Luffy has ever done. The Room surrounding him forces him to be in constant alertness to attacks that can come from anywhere, and he knows that if his Haki falters for even a second, he loses a limb. It is thrilling.</p><p>They fight for hours, and Luffy spends about three quarters of the fight trying to convince Law to stay and join their celebration, and Law always replies with a polite, “I’m not joining you filthy pirates.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It takes five weeks, a lot of effort, the destruction of an entire pirate crew, and the bribery of a few citizens for Law to get more information on Luffy’s whereabouts again.</p><p>“And you are one hundred percent sure that Mugiwara-ya announced he was going to this next island? You do understand all the planning and preparation I have to do before a trip and the consequences there are going to be if I don’t find him there, hm?”</p><p>The shaking man kneeling in front of him babbles something that Law recognizes as affirmation, and Law decides to leave then, but not without throwing one last look at the man.</p><p>“I know where you live,” He says, smirking when all the color drains from the man’s face.</p><p>The truth is, Law would never waste his time paying another visit to this man’s home, but the thought of missing an opportunity to capture Luffy because a random guy gave him wrong directions is enough to turn all his coherent thoughts into irrational threats.</p><p>Before Law returns to his submarine, he decides to stop by at a tavern to have a drink, and he is surprised to find some other bounty hunters at the place, bragging about going after the Strawhat’s captain next.</p><p>The scene left behind Law after he leaves the place is a mess of limbs disconnected from their original bodies and reattached randomly to any surface of the tavern.</p><p>As his submarine descends into the deep ocean, Law thinks that it will be a cold day in hell before he allows any of these weaklings to even think they have a chance against his pirate.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was only bad luck, Luffy thinks, that this time Law happened to show up right after Luffy had just finished defeating the final boss and could not use his Haki any longer.</p><p>It was only bad luck, Luffy thinks as he lies there, upper half of his body disconnected from the bottom one. Painful as it is to admit it, he recognizes that he got caught.</p><p>Luffy hears footsteps approaching him and he tries to crawl away, but two hands grab him and pick him up from the floor. Luffy doesn’t know what to do in a situation like this, and he watches in shock as Law reattaches both halves of his body, his hands burning an imprint on Luffy’s skin.</p><p>“I propose we call a truce today,” Law suggests, his expression softer than Luffy has ever seen.</p><p>Dumbfounded, Luffy can only nod as he tries to recompose himself. “Is everything alright?” He asks.</p><p>Law doesn’t answer.</p><p>Luffy takes a moment to reflect before he speaks again, “Do you want a hug? It can help, sometimes.”</p><p>Law heaves a sigh and locks his eyes with Luffy. “I think I would like to hug you.”</p><p>He wraps his arms awkwardly around Luffy’s body, his posture remaining stiff, and Luffy wonders when did Law last hug anybody else. The idea that it was probably a long time ago gives him the urge to comfort him, but he holds himself back and only accepts the hug, afraid that taking things further would only drive Law away.</p><p>A few minutes pass by before Law speaks again, “You’re too trusting.”</p><p>Luffy smiles softly, “There’s a difference between being too trusting and knowing I can handle myself in a fight.”</p><p>The answer causes Law to loosen up, and he now holds Luffy more naturally inside his arms. Luffy sighs in contentment when Law’s hand moves up to his hair, pulling him closer.</p><p>“Still, you’re too trusting,” Law says, ending on a sigh as he places his chin on top of Luffy’s head, “I could kill you so easily right now.”</p><p>Luffy nuzzles into the side of Law’s neck, breathing in the scent that has become so familiar to him, but never has he had such open access to it. He enjoys the moment, unaware of when he will get to do this again, or if ever.</p><p>“You won’t, Torao. I know you won’t.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>This time, Law finds Luffy when he is in the middle of a fight against the subordinates of the king from a winter island.</p><p>Law did not mean to end up helping Luffy, but when the subordinates began to attack him as well, what else could he do but attack back?</p><p>It is during fights like this that Law feels grateful he chose Luffy as a target. None of these guys even know how to hold a sword, how to throw a proper punch. The fight would have ended ages ago if there weren’t thousands of them. Law slices fifty subordinates in half with only a swing of his sword, but the next second there are fifty more standing in front of him again. It’s exhausting, and not in a good way.</p><p>Not at all how his fights go with Luffy. Whenever they clash, he is constantly being challenged to take a step further and keep up with the endless stamina that the rubber pirate possesses. Law always leaves the fights exhausted, but in a satisfying way, knowing he has become stronger.</p><p>Law feels Luffy’s smaller frame press to his back when the subordinates form a circle around them, and Law snickers when he sees the confident look on their faces, thinking they have succeeded at cornering him and Luffy. This time, he slices a hundred in half with only one attack.</p><p>“See, Torao? I knew you’d make a good pirate,” Luffy speaks from behind him.</p><p>Their eyes meet over their shoulders and Law reciprocates the smirk on Luffy’s face before he clicks his tongue, “In your dreams, Mugiwara-ya.”</p><p>Law shifts his focus back to the fight and he feels glad that his back is turned to Luffy, so the pirate cannot see the newfound determination on his face. Law’s attack now reaches a hundred and fifty men, and his mind is set on destroying all of them. He might even try to reach the king before Luffy, to keep things interesting. Luffy will be livid.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They lie side by side on the sand, focusing on catching their breaths. Blood leaking from their open wounds mixes with the sweat from driving their bodies to their limits, and Law winces in pain when he places the palm of his hand on his side, feeling a couple of broken ribs.</p><p>The truces have become more often, although the word ‘truce’ was never spoken again. It happens naturally, only a glance is exchanged between them and they know what the other one wants.</p><p>Sometimes, they only lay like this, resting and breathing deeply, watching as the sky turns darker. Other times, they hug again, becoming familiar with being around each other. They never check the time to see how long they stay there.</p><p>The sound of Luffy’s stomach rumbling is what disrupts the peacefulness this time, and Law tries not to acknowledge the slight tightness on his chest when Luffy gets up. Luffy looks down at him, stretching his limbs and then crossing his arms over his chest.</p><p>“Well? Are you gonna sit there and let me get away?”</p><p>This is uncharted territory for them, usually Luffy just leaves, so Law hesitates for a moment before he decides to get up as well and face him. He takes a couple of steps until they are a few breaths away from each other, places his hands on either side of Luffy’s face and leans in, pressing their lips together. It is chaste and quick, but they have never gone farther than this, so it is more than enough to steal all their breath away.</p><p>“I won’t let you get away so easily next time,” Law says after he pulls away, taking a step back so he can take a proper last look at Luffy.</p><p>The reaction is instantaneous, and the kiss plus the promise of a next time cause Luffy to grin so bright that it could actually blind Law, weren’t he so used to it by now.</p><p>“I’d like to see you try,” Luffy teases, and then he is walking away from Law, back to the direction of his ship, and Law is back to the challenge of trying to find a trace of Luffy on the New World.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>They lie side by side again, only this time Luffy is wrapped inside Law’s arms, his fingertips idly tracing the tattoo on Law’s chest and feeling his heartbeat. Again, they don’t check the time, and they could be lying here for hours without ever knowing.</p><p>But Luffy knows he has his duties as a captain, so, reluctantly, he disentangles himself away from Law. But before Law even gets the chance to complain at the loss, Luffy is straddling his hips, starring defiantly at him.</p><p>“Can I tell you a secret?” Luffy asks, and Law only quirks an eyebrow in response.</p><p>Luffy leans in, his hands holding his weight on Law’s chest, until his lips are brushing Law’s earlobe. He bites gently before he whispers, “We’re planning on taking down Kaido.”</p><p>He pulls away just enough so he can look at Law, who is furrowing his brows.</p><p>“Why are you telling me this?”</p><p>Luffy shrugs it off, “It might get boring if we don't have other people there to help us fight him. Plus, have you seen the bounty for his head?”</p><p>Halfway through the sentence, Law could already see what Luffy’s intentions here were. He finds it endearing, honestly, that Luffy tries to use a silly excuse as a bounty to convince Law to join him, as if Law hasn’t been following him around the world for years now.</p><p>“I can’t let you have that money all for yourself, hm?” Law says playfully, running his hands up and down on Luffy’s thighs.</p><p>Luffy grins in response, kissing Law one last time before he gets up from his lap. He feels the weight of Law’s stare on each of his movements, as he puts his clothes back on, and it’s almost enough to make him stay, but he knows the Sunny has to sail soon.</p><p>“Two weeks, Torao. It’s a date,” Luffy states as he begins to walk away.</p><p>Law can’t help but smile back at Luffy, and he is sure that Luffy sees it, but he doesn’t mind it even the slightest.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Law can’t deny his apprehension as he docks his submarine on the harbor of Dawn Island. Ever since he received the first information on Luffy’s whereabout, signaling that he was heading to the East Blue, Law could take a guess on what was going on, but still, it only really hits him at this moment, as he sets foot on the island.</p><p>He wanders around for a couple of hours until he eventually finds Luffy, standing alone inside a small tree house in the middle of the forest.</p><p>“Took you long enough to get here, Torao.”</p><p>Luffy spends the next hours showing Law everything there is to see on the island and important places from his childhood. Law, for his part, pretends to not realize that something important is happening.</p><p>But Law knows it, and he feels honored. He thinks there is probably going to take fifty more encounters until he considers taking Luffy to his own birth island, but only the fact that he is even considering it, shows him how important Luffy has become to him over the years.</p><p>And it is only after the sky has turned black that Law feels brave enough to break their little act and asks, “Do you ever think about settling down?”</p><p>Luffy hums softly, turning his face to look at Law. “I do, actually,” He replies, but Law notices that same fiery look Luffy gives whenever he is about to escape.</p><p>“But not right now, though. Maybe in a few years? There’s still so much to do!”</p><p>Law can barely contain his chuckle after the last words sounded more like a kid asking to spend a few more minutes at the playground. He thinks about admitting that he couldn’t, even if he wanted to, deny anything to Luffy, but Luffy would get insufferable if he ever learned that.</p><p>So, Law decides to not say anything and ends up kissing Luffy instead, smiling against his lips as he tastes the familiar flavor of home and sunshine. And Law never pegged himself as a sap, but here he is, bounty hunter turned lover of the pirate king, daydreaming about all the things the future still holds for the two of them.</p><p>Luffy pulls away first, smiling warmly as he says, “You haven’t met Dadan and the others yet, Torao. C’mon, they’re throwing us a party!”</p><p>He grabs Law’s hand, and Law can’t help but follow him, to wherever Luffy wants to go.</p><p>This is only their 196th encounter, and Law knows there will always be a next time.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I don't even know if this made any sense, but I really wanted to write it, so, I can only hope some of you could find it enjoyable.</p><p>Thank you so much for reading this! And please, let me know your opinions about it. </p><p>&lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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